Some lies are worth telling. Some hearts are worth risking. Love is always worth fighting for.

A few weeks from college graduation and financially cut off, Sammie faces an impossible choice. She’ll have to submit to her father’s manipulative demands or lose the inheritance her late mother left her.

Caleb is the steadfast cowboy who’s been her anchor through every storm. His solution to her problem? A fake marriage that will satisfy her father’s requirements and give Sammie the freedom she desperately needs.

What starts as a short-term arrangement quickly becomes complicated when the lines between fake vows and true feelings blur. Life in Big Sky, Montana, draws Sammie in, and she discovers a strength she never knew she had. The self-doubt she’d struggled with her whole life was slowly turning into confidence.

As they’re adjusting to their new life—temporary as it might be—Caleb is keeping a secret that threatens her trust in him. Sammie’s father’s accusations add fuel to a fire that seems to be blazing out of control.

With their fake marriage crumbling and her inheritance hanging in the balance, Sammie must decide what matters most. She’ll have to choose between the security of wealth and the risk of loving someone who might break her heart.

Titles in the Sagebrush Ranch Sweethearts series include: A Montana Fake Marriage ~ A Montana Perfect Family ~ A Montana Childhood Promise ~

This is a clean, sweet romance with either closed doors or only kissing.

Title:  A Montana Fake Marriage
Series:  Sagebrush Ranch Sweethearts #1
Author:  April Murdock
Published:  June 30, 2025
Publisher:  
My Rating:  4,5 stars

A Montana Fake Marriage begins the Sagebrush Ranch Sweethearts series with Sarah (Sammie) and Caleb’s friendship that soon turns into far more than they bargained for.

Sammie and Caleb are college best friends, there for each other in all the ways that count. After her mother’s death, Sammie’s controlling father refuses to release her inheritance unless she follows his dictates… she works with him, or she marries. Caleb suggests a temporary, fake marriage and returning to his family’s ranch for a year. After all, it’s what best friends do: protect each other. Neither expected the complications, nor the attraction that neither knew quite what to do about, fearing that changing the status quo could mean the end of their friendship.

I loved this couple; there’s enough angst to be believable, and enough misunderstandings to keep the tension going. A controlling man might have brought them to this point in their lives, but it’s up to them now to see where it could lead. If you love a well-written, emotional, intense romance with believable situations and a couple you’ll be rooting for to find their happy ever after love, then A Montana Fake Marriage by April Murdock is a perfect fit for you.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the author or the author’s team via Booksprout, and I sincerely thank them for their trust. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

This title is available at Amazon (affiliate link)